The Regional Museum of South Karelia, located in the Lappeenranta Fortress, is the central institution of the City Museums Department. The museum is housed in massive gray stone buildings of the former artillery warehouse, which was completed in the early 19th century. Founded in 1963 by the Regional City Association (Maakuntaliitto), this museum was the successor of the Lappeenranta City Museum. In 1968, the museum was handed over to the city of Lappeenranta.
The collections of the Museum of Cultural History are taken from the museums of Lappeenranta, Vyborg and Kakisalmi (Priozersk). Museums' work on preservation and accounting, research and exhibiting covers not only the modern region of South Karelia, but also the southern part of Karelia, i.e. the Karelian Isthmus, which is ceded to Russia.
Next to the reception, there is also a museum souvenir store with a large selection of books, postcards, sweets, jewelry and toys.
The permanent exposition is currently closed due to the museum's repair. Temporary exhibitions are open.
The permanent exposition is devoted to local history of the neighborhood, as well as to the history of Lappeeranta, Vyborg and Kakisalmi. One of the main attractions of the permanent exhibition is a large-scale model of the city of Vyborg, where the city looks like it was at noon on September 2, 1939: here we see residents, cars, streetcars, ships and trains, everything that happens in their daily lives. The model has a total area of 24 square meters and covers the area from Patterinmäki to Siikaniemi and from Javi to Papula. The exhibition halls also have multimedia stations for use by the public, and the study rooms have computers with which people can expand their knowledge and enjoy themselves.
In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum also has various temporary exhibitions, which are often related to current topics. These exhibitions are either collected by the museum itself or are held during a temporary tour of the museum.
